The Weather In India Is Really Extreme, 36 People Died Including 12 Attacked Residents

Illustration of extreme weather (Photo by Max LaRochelle on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - North India's super-extreme weather has killed at least 36 people in the last 24 hours. That figure includes 12 people who died after being struck by lightning.

Officials there warned of more heavy rains in the coming days.

In all northern states of Uttar Pradesh, about 24 people died after their home collapsed in the endless rain, relief commissioner Ranvir Prasad said.

Mohamed Usman (15 years) was on the roof of a friend in the city of Prayagraj when a lightning strike on Friday (September 23) night, killing him instantly. His friend Aznan, who used one name, was injured and hospitalized.

"Once they set foot on the roof, they were struck by lightning and my son died," said Mohammad Ayub, Usman's father.

Officials say 39 people in the state have died from lightning in the past five days, prompting state governments to issue new guidelines on how people can protect themselves during thunderstorms.

Lightning strikes usually occur during the rainy season in India, which runs from June to September.

Colonel Sanjay Srivastava, whose organization Lightning Resilient India Campaign is collaborating with India's Meteorological Department, said that deforestation, water agency depletion, and pollution all contributed to climate change, causing more lightning.

Global warming is also increasing the frequency of lightning, said Sunita Narain, director general at the Center for Science and Environment. The increase in temperature is 1 degree Celsius, increasing lightning 12 times.